Comparing Elgato, AVerMedia, and Budget USB Capture Cards for 240p Retro Console Recording
See which Elgato, AVerMedia, and budget USB capture cards correctly handle a 240p signal from a retro scaler, based on Shmups Forum compatibility tests, and which ones misdetect it as 480i.
Elgato AVerMedia Budget USB Capture 240p Retro: Which Cards Actually Handle A 240p Signal?
Most capture cards treat a 240p retro console signal as 480i video and apply destructive deinterlacing. This ruins the image with combing artifacts, discards half the vertical resolution, and adds input lag that makes shmups and rhythm games unplayable. The Shmups Forum capture card compatibility list reveals that only specific models pass a clean 240p signal through without misdetection.
Why 240p Misdetection Destroys Your Retro Recording
A 240p signal from a Super Famicom or Mega Drive runs at 15kHz horizontal frequency, the same as 480i. Most capture card chips were designed for DVD players and video cameras, so they assume any 15kHz signal is interlaced. The result is motion-adaptive deinterlacing that blends two fields into one frame, creating horizontal combing on moving sprites and a soft, smeared image on static ones. The RetroTINK 5X-Pro and OSSC output a clean 240p-over-HDMI signal, but the capture card must accept that signal as progressive video rather than re-interpreting it. If the card's EDID handshake reports 1080i as the preferred resolution, the scaler may output an interlaced signal, and the capture software records a flickering, deinterlaced mess.
Elgato HD60 S 240p Misdetection: The Known Failure
The Elgato HD60 S, released in 2016, misdetects 240p as 480i in its default configuration. The Video Game Perfection forum's OSSC capture card compatibility test from 2020 found the HD60 S compatible only at OSSC Line2x and Line3x generic 4:3 modes. At Line4x and above, the card re-interprets the signal and introduces combing artifacts. The HD60 S also lacks HDCP support entirely, so any HDCP handshake loop from a scaler in the chain causes a black screen. The fix requires an HDMI splitter that strips HDCP metadata before the signal reaches the card.
| Model | Max Input Passthrough | Max Capture Resolution | 240p Test Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgato HD60 S (2016) | 2160p60 | 1080p60 | Fails at Line4x+ on OSSC; works at Line2x/3x |
| Elgato HD60 X (2022) | 2160p60 HDR | 2160p30 / 1440p60 / 1080p60 HDR | Passes 240p clean; 4:4:4 at 1080p60 |
| AVerMedia GC311 (2019) | 1080p60 | 1080p60 | USB 2.0; fails 240p passthrough |
| AVerMedia GC553 (2018) | 2160p60 HDR | 2160p30 / 1080p60 HDR | Passes 240p; <50 ms claimed latency |
| Budget MS2109 (USB 2.0) | 2160p30 | 1080p30 MJPEG | Fails; treats 240p as 480i at all resolutions |
| Budget MS2130 (USB 3.0) | 2160p60 | 1080p60 YUY2 | Passes 240p at 4:2:2; no firmware updates |
AVerMedia Capture Card 240p Compatibility: Which Models Pass And Which Fail
The AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra GC553, released in 2018, passes a 240p signal from a RetroTINK 5X-Pro without misdetection. The Shmups Forum tested capture card list confirms the GC553 as a reliable option for 240p recording. The GC553 supports HDR10 capture and 4:4:4 colour sampling at 1080p60, preserving pixel-perfect colour from an RGB source. The cheaper AVerMedia Live Gamer Mini GC311, a USB 2.0 model from 2019, fails 240p passthrough entirely; it treats the signal as 480i and introduces combing artifacts on every resolution. The AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K GC573, a PCIe card from 2018, supports 4:4:4 at 4K60 and passes 240p at OSSC Line5x 1920x1200, according to the 2020 Video Game Perfection compatibility test.
AVerMedia cards require an HDCP-free source. The GC553 and GC573 both reject HDCP-encrypted signals, so a RetroTINK 5X-Pro or OSSC must output an unencrypted signal. If the capture card enters an HDCP handshake loop, the screen blinks every few seconds. A powered HDMI splitter that strips HDCP resolves this.
Budget USB Capture Stick 480i Combing: Why Cheap Dongles Fail
MS2109: The Chipset That Always Gets 240p Wrong
Budget USB capture sticks using the MacroSilicon MS2109 chipset treat every 15kHz signal as 480i. The MS2109, common in inexpensive dongles from Sham Shui Po, captures at 1080p30 via MJPEG compression and applies destructive deinterlacing to 240p sources. The result is visible combing on horizontal edges, vertical resolution halved to 240 lines, and 2 to 4 frames of added input lag measured by Time Sleuth testing.
MS2130: The Budget Option That Works
The USB 3.0 MS2130 chipset, released in 2021, passes a 240p signal at 1080p60 YUY2 without deinterlacing, but only at 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. The MS2130 has no user-updatable firmware, so compatibility is fixed at the factory revision. Neither chipset supports HDCP; the MS2109 and MS2130 strip HDCP on some firmware revisions, a community finding from 2022, but this is not guaranteed. The RetroTINK 4K tested capture card latency ranking from Wobbling Pixels in 2024 places the generic USB 3.0 MS2130 as the fourth-fastest option, behind the Elgato HD60 X, AVerMedia GC553, and Elgato Cam Link 4K.
Shmups Forum Capture Card 240p Tested List: The Reference
The Shmups Forum capture card compatibility list is the community-maintained database of which cards pass a clean 240p signal. The list tests each card with an OSSC outputting Line2x, Line3x, Line5x, and passthrough modes, and with a RetroTINK 5X-Pro outputting 1080p.
Cards that pass at all modes include the Elgato HD60 X, AVerMedia GC553, and Elgato Cam Link 4K. Cards that fail include the Elgato HD60 S above Line3x, the AVerMedia GC311 at all modes, and every MS2109-based dongle. The list also notes which cards report the EDID incorrectly, causing the scaler to output 1080i instead of 1080p. The Elgato HD60 X and AVerMedia GC573 report correctly; the Elgato HD60 S and budget dongles do not.
The HDMI Handshake Loop And EDID Misreport: What Breaks
When The Scaler And Card Disagree
When a RetroTINK 5X-Pro or OSSC sits between a console and a capture card, the capture card's EDID handshake can misreport 1080i as the preferred input resolution. The scaler then outputs an interlaced signal, and the capture software records a 1080i file with visible flicker on 240p content. This is not a scaler fault; it is the capture card's handshake implementation. The Elgato HD60 S and budget MS2109 sticks exhibit this misreport.
Which Cards Get The Handshake Right
The Elgato HD60 X and AVerMedia GC553 report the EDID correctly and accept a progressive 1080p signal from the scaler. A separate HDMI splitter with EDID management, such as a unit from HDfury, can force the card to accept the correct resolution. The RetroTINK 4K tested capture card latency ranking from Wobbling Pixels in 2024 measures the HD60 X at the lowest latency among USB capture cards for retro gaming.
Which Traveller This Subject Suits And Which Should Skip
Who Should Read This
This subject suits the capture and streaming hobbyist who needs to split a signal cleanly to both a lag-free play display and a capture card without degrading either. It also suits the competitive shmup player who perceives milliseconds of input lag and must know which card adds the least delay. It suits the Hong Kong apartment gamer who needs one display for modern and retro consoles and must understand why their Super Famicom looks like a smeared mess on their 4K OLED.
Who Should Skip
Skip this subject if you are a modern gamer wanting better anti-aliasing on a PlayStation 5; you need display-side motion blur and VRR guides, not scanline generators. Skip if you are a PC gamer trying to upscale old 3D PC titles from a Windows desktop; you need dgVoodoo2, DXVK, or driver-level integer scaling guides. Skip if you are looking to buy a pre-modded console as a plug-and-play gift; visit a local Hong Kong retro shop and pay for a configured solution.
The single thing that most often goes wrong is assuming a budget USB 2.0 capture stick will work because it has an HDMI input. It will treat your 240p signal as 480i, ruin the image with combing artifacts, and add enough input lag to make Super Mario World feel slippery. Buy a card from the Shmups Forum tested list instead.
Common Questions
Why does my capture card show combing on my retro console recording?
The card misdetects your 240p signal as 480i and applies motion-adaptive deinterlacing. This blends the two fields of interlaced video, creating horizontal combing artifacts on moving objects. Use a card from the Shmups Forum tested list that passes 240p cleanly.
Can I fix 240p misdetection with a RetroTINK 5X-Pro in the chain?
The RetroTINK 5X-Pro outputs a clean 1080p signal from 240p, but some capture cards ignore the scaler's EDID and re-interpret the signal. The Elgato HD60 X and AVerMedia GC553 respect the scaler's output. The HD60 S does not.
What budget USB capture stick works for 240p retro consoles?
Only USB 3.0 sticks with the MacroSilicon MS2130 chipset pass 240p without deinterlacing, and only at 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. The older MS2109 USB 2.0 sticks always fail. No budget stick supports firmware updates.
Does HDCP cause problems with capture cards and retro scalers?
Yes. Elgato and AVerMedia cards reject HDCP-encrypted signals. A RetroTINK or OSSC outputs unencrypted video, but an HDCP handshake loop can occur if the card's EDID negotiation triggers re-encryption. Use a powered HDMI splitter that strips HDCP metadata.
